India entered into "saffron age" due to Ram Janmbhoomi movement and construction of a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya would begin next year in 2018, VHP leader Surendra Jain said on Saturday

Jain, the VHP's joint General Secretary, was speaking here at a conference on the subject titled "The Ram Janmbhoomi Movement: A Renaissance" at NDMC convention centre in central Delhi.

"India entered into the saffron age because of Ram Janmbhoomi movement and is headed to become world's superpower.

The participation of 16 crore people during different stages of the movement made it world's largest movement," he said.

"This movement became a renaissance and invoking the pride of Hindus and country's potential. The construction of a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya will begin in 2018."

Addressing the conference, VHP Spokesperson Vijay Shankar Tiwary said that this renaissance redefined the nationalism and established that India is known as a country of Maharana Pratap and Chatrapati Shivaji and not of Babar, Mahmud of Ghazni and Ghauri.

Gyanendra Bartaria, a Prasar Bharti advisor, said that Hinduism is nationalism.

--IANS

bns/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)